I’ve been living in New York for over eight years now, but I’ve never really had what I’d call a regular neighborhood haunt that I’d continually go back to. Of course, there are places I’d rely on for takeout or cheap eats, but no place I’d gladly visit over and over because I liked the food, drink, the ambiance, and the service all at once.

Tonight, I visited Jones Wood Foundry with a friend for the very first time, even though it’s been on my Yelp bookmark list for years. It’s a British style pub with a very British looking bar, a beautiful and spacious back dining area, and even a hidden outdoor terrace. The fish and chips we had were very authentic based on what I’ve had in Australia and New Zealand, which I’m told are the same style as in the U.K., and the chicken tikka masala salad was fresh and used dark meat on the bone (major brownie points). The drink selection is huge, and the service was incredible. We had several people come over to greet us and ask if this was our first time, and they said they’d welcome us back as regulars in the future (whether that’s really true and whether they will actually recognize us — we’ll find out). And I learned a little fun fact about the neighborhood I’ve called home for over three years now: before this was the Upper East Side, Yorkville, or Lenox Hill, the area between 66th and 77th streets and Third Ave and the East River, was known as Jones Wood.

Maybe this could be a place to just stop by for a drink or a quick snack moving forward. I loved the vibe of this place and felt so happy to be able to just walk a couple blocks home after.